News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-01-27
A MOST EXCITING TRIP.
RACING WITH AN AVALANCHE.
An Expert on SnOwshoeS Beats n Colorado
Snow slide.
TFrom the Inter-Ocean.1

|
''Did you ever hear of race with q
snow slide2"
The questioner was young man who
| had spent some years in the heart of the
Rocky Mountains, and as all the answers
were noes he began his story.
''In the winter of 1885," he said, "the
little town in which l lived was snow
| bound nearly six weeks None of us
| could get out, and it was equally certain
thai no ono would come in. After the
first week we lived on SOW belly, pota-
toes aid bread, and our only amusements
were snowshoeing and poker. The
snowshoes, by the way, were not those
things they use up in Canada, but the
regulation Norwegian winter foot gear,
from twelve to sixteen feet in length,
three inches wide, and curved at the
toes. These shoes, when pointed down
steep mountain side with 100 pounds
of humanity equally distributed upon
them, will discount the best time ever
made by an ice boat upon the Hudson
or elsewhere.
''The bottoms are generally given a
coat of tallow or oil, in order to reduce
the friction to a minimum, as we'll as to
prevent the snow from Adhering. Well,
it was with pair of these shoes that a
Swede by the name of Chas. Petersen
had the most thrilling race imaginable.
1t was rendered all the more so from the
fact that it was voluntary on his part,
for he had deliberately made the wager
that he would start the slide, and then
outrun it to the hog back "a small
ridge at the bottom of the gulch(, which
he would have to reach in order to
escape with his life.
''The race occurred two days after
one of the greatest storms the white
people in the southwest corner had ever
experienced, and it was estimated that
at least twelve feet of snow fell during
its continuance. This settled, however,
to perhaps eight feet, but as there was
not less than six fee already on the
ground, the total depth was at least
fourteen feet. The old snow formed a
good bed for the new, and the hard,
firm crust of the former was a splendid
crust over which the latter could slip,
and over which it did slip, with fright
full velocity.
''The point selected for the race was
one OF the steepest gulches, on the most
precipitous mountain within a radius
of twenty miles, and it is not an exag-
geration to say the incline of the course
was equal to 45 degrees. The length
was $500 feet by measurement, for the
starting point was just at the upper end
of two full mining claims, and the ter
minus on the hog back before referred
to, the center of which was 400 feet
from the lower end lines of the claim in
question. Under the agreement Peter
sen was to enter the gulch nearly 1000
feet above the line where the timber
ceases to grow, and after taking
his position directly in the path of
the slide, or avalanche, was required
to start the snow This was easy
enough, as d stick Of giant powder
was all that was needed. It looked like
tallow candle wrapped in brown paper,
and the idea was to explode it, the
tremendous vibration of the air starting
the slide It's common thing to start
slides that way, and is often resorted
TO 6y men who have mountain sides to
climb or gulches to cross.
"Petersen got out in tha gulch all
right, banked his shoes and then placed
his feet in the straps His next move
was to draw the giant powder from his
bootleg and adjust the cap and fuse.
He did it leisurely, as if preparing to
fire an ordinary blast, and to the fifty
or sixty men who stood below and
watched him, all of whom knew he was
making a tremendous risk in even ven
turing into the gulch SO soon after the
storm, it seemed as If he were trying to
harrow their feelings.
presently the right arm flew back
ward, and we knew that the race had
begun. In a moment the detonation
reached us, and at the same instant we
saw the sudden movement of the
body of snow at the head of the gulch
Petersen seemed to be in it, but it was
only delusion, for he came flying down
the gulch with the velocity of a railroad
train. The avalanche was behind him,
and rushing along with mighty power
and speed. We all realized that if the
man lost a shoe or changed his course a
hairs breadth his doom was sealed. We
stood in breathless horror as the roaring
sound of the mighty avalanche reached
our ears, and we saw the immense white
cloud rolling down with the fleeing man
just before it. By the time half the
course h d been run the man was still
in the lead. Both racer and raced had
been gathering speed every moment, and
the race was simply tremendous. We
all understood that if he could preserve
his equilibrium few seconds only, his
safety would be insured, and as We
stood with our eyes rivited upon him it
seemed as if he would get through all
right But shifting of the body-a
partial swaying- and we saw he was
riding on one shoe only. We were hor
rifed, and our faces blanched in spite o
ourselves, for we believed his death was
certain. In a moment, however, we
felt relieved, for he recovered himself
magnifc ntly, and we saw that both
shoes were doing service again. But he
had lost time, and the big white cloud
was upon him. 1t was coming with the
sound of heavy thunder, and the dark
form of the man stood out in bold relief
before it, but seemingly hurried along
in the very front of the resistless body.
ga terrible rush of wind, binding
clouds of snow, sounds like waves beat
ing upon the shore-and all was over.
For moment we stood awe stricken,
for we were yet uncertain whether our
friend lay buried under the now peace
full white pillows piled up upon one
side of the ridge, or had found safety in
the soft snow upon the other. There
he is, shouted one of our party, and in
an instant fifty or sixty voices were
raised in a great cheer that echoed and
re-echoed along the mountain.
"And there he was, or rather his legs,
and both of them were moving back and
forth in very lively fashion. He had
taken a header into. the snow, and sunk
down almost to his knees. We got him
out in few minutes, and then he ex-
planned how it all happened. He SAID
he was rushed up on one side of the
ridge so rapidly that his long shoes did
not follow the incline on the other, but
shot straight forward They left his
feet, and he began turning somersaults
through the air, presently coming doan
head foremost, as before described. The
leap from the top of the ridge was over
fifty feet, but the snow was as soft as a
feather bed, and he was not harmed in
the least.
SELLING Off ''Now, ladies and